BBC Discovery

Tooth and Claw: Killer Whales

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Investigating the black-and-white apex predator of the sea – the killer whale! Able to predate even great white sharks, this marine mammal is the largest member of the dolphin family. From tropical seas, to the Arctic and Antarctic, killer whales (or orcas) are found across the world. Living in family groups and often led by a post-menopausal matriarch, killer whales have passed on their hunting methods, which vary depending on which prey they specialise in hunting, through the generations.

Presenter Adam Hart finds out about the killer whales incredible social behaviours (such as wearing salmon as hats) and hears how a dog is helping killer whale researchers access a gold mine of information about this predator. He also hears what challenges killer whale populations are facing and why killer whales may be attacking boats off the coast of the Iberian peninsula.

Contributors:

Dr. Leigh Hickmott, whale biologist and conservationist, who is an expert on Pack Ice killer whales, and whose research uses them as indicators to assess human disturbance of marine habitats.

Dr. Deborah Giles, who is an expert on Southern Resident killer whales, based with the SeaDoc Society, a program of the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Presenter: Professor Adam Hart
Producer: Jonathan Blackwell

(Photo: Killer Whales, Credit: Serge MELESAN via Getty Images)
7 Jul 2025 English United Kingdom Science

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